**Sip Saturday is written by our Saturday morning contributor, M.H. Elrich. A beautifully gifted Christian author who seeks to honor the Trinity in her writing. She hopes that her words will encourage women to draw closer to God, whether that is through her fantasy series or her weekly devotionals.
Cornerstone Scripture:
“But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?”
-Hebrews 3:17 KJV
Have you ever had a “wilderness experience”? If you’re not sure what it means, according to GotQuestions.org, it is “usually thought of as a tough time in which a believer endures discomfort and trials” and “It can involve a spiritual, financial, or emotional drought.” I think if you’ve been a believer for any length of time, you understand how this feels.
As for me, I experienced this when I was first married. From the outside looking in, I had everything I wanted: a degree, a job, and a husband. Yet, I felt empty inside. My church at the time was not spiritually nourishing, and I carried around guilt and anxiety. I wondered what the point of following God really was, and what it meant. Even though I graduated from college, life was aimless and pointless. I wanted to write, but I didn’t know what that meant or looked like. I got a job at a magazine in the hopes of discovering that purpose.
My co-worker introduced me to the Holy Spirit through The Helper by Catherine Marshal. She also invited me to attend Bible Study Fellowship, a non-denominational organization that studies God’s Word in-depth. Because of her influence and those in Bible Study Fellowship, I fasted, prayed, and sought God. He used others to bring me through the wilderness and guide me back onto his path (which was actually teaching and writing). Since then, I have felt fulfilled in my work and my marriage. Yes, there have been times when my faith has been tested, but those wilderness experiences have lessened as I’ve drawn close to God in the midst of them.
In this passage, the author of Hebrews doesn’t want the wilderness experience to end in death for his or her audience. The author continues to warn them about the consequences of continuing to stray from God’s path and/or sinking into despair. A wilderness experience is meant to turn someone back to God, not away from him.
If you’re experiencing a time of spiritual emptiness, ask yourself why. Identify ways in which you’ve been seeking God. Have you read your Bible? Fasted? Prayed? If you’ve done all those things and still found yourself empty, I would ask another question: are you trying to do this all on your own, instead of asking the Holy Spirit to fill you? I know I was.
I would do all the actions, but I didn’t have the heart to turn to God and listen to Him. I thought I could do everything by myself instead of relying on God to fill me up. I also thought I could hide my emotions and my darker sides from the Lord instead of surrendering them to him. Learn from my example and that of the Israelites: draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 4:8). It might take awhile, but don’t give up praying. He hears you, and he will answer you in his timing.
Let’s pray.
Dear Lord, help me to sense you are near, even in the wilderness. Let my heart be open to where you will take me, and be guided by your Holy Spirit. Fill me up and help me to seek you. In Your Son’s Name, Amen.
Amen!!